As video games have developed, certain games have been and are designed to be played on personal computers. Since many personal computers primarily use a keyboard and mouse as input devices, many such games are similarly designed to have users activate game commands by either pressing a key on the keyboard or by using the mouse (or similar input device, such as a keypad) to position the cursor on a cell or “graphical button” that is visually represented by the game interface on a display screen of the personal computer and then “click” a mouse button or (keypad button) by depressing and releasing it to activate the selected visual button.
Such visually represented cells are generally located away from the center of the display so as not to interfere with the visual presentation of game action. For example, in a real-time strategy (RTS) game, the user may have to select from a number of choices, often 6 or more, at a particular point in game play. In such a case, one common method of display of such choices is user interface table having multiple rows and columns located in a corner of the display, each cell in the table having a graphical representation of a particular option.
Since a mouse generally provides a fast and accurate way to position the cursor, this method typically allows players to move the cursor to the table and position it over the cell representing the desired command, click the mouse button to activate the command, and then return the cursor to the field of game action quickly. Thus, this method is considered adequate for activating commands in a sufficiently fast manner to avoid disrupting game play.
However, most display monitors for personal computers are limited in size. The incorporated display in a laptop computer is generally limited to a 17 inch screen (diagonal measurement), and even a desktop computer monitor is generally in the range of 20 to 24 inches, with 30 inches being considered large. However, other video games, such as those for video game consoles (Microsoft Xbox®, Sony PlayStation®, Nintendo Wii®, etc.), are typically played on a television. In many cases the television display may be significantly larger than that of a computer; for example, many homes now have “big-screen” televisions with screens of 50 or 60 inches or more.
Thus, some players wish to take advantage of these larger screen sizes and now use televisions as display devices even when playing games that are running on their personal computers. Of course, when doing so, such players are typically positioned further away from the television display. Further, when doing so, they may no longer wish to be limited to the keyboard and mouse input devices of the personal computer, but rather to use other types of controllers that are commonly used with other game sources such as video game consoles.
For example, a keyboard and mouse must generally be placed on suitable flat surfaces relatively close to the computer, even in the case of wireless devices, and the user must remain close to the keyboard and mouse to use them. Game controllers are now often handheld and incorporate accelerometers to determine controller movement, or in some cases use external detectors with ultrasound and optical mechanisms to detect controller and/or player movement. Other known game controllers detect a local magnetic field to sense controller position with greater precision. These techniques can give the game player more freedom of movement in the environment as well as a greater range of video game input control. Many players thus now also prefer such controllers over the mouse and keyboard combination.
However, while many such game controllers have buttons which may effectively be used in the same manner as a button on a mouse, due to the lower accuracy of some game controllers and/or the greater distance between a player and the display device, it can sometimes be difficult to control movements of the cursor as easily as when using a mouse while sitting in front of a computer display. If using a motion controller, it can be difficult to hold the controller steady while pressing a button. Thus, when playing games such as RTS games which utilize tables of graphical buttons as above, it may be more difficult to manipulate the cursor to select a command from the user interface table and return it to the game field in a timely fashion, detracting from the continuity of game play.
In addition, in other games or online environments, it is sometimes necessary or desirable to enter a text string for some purpose. For example, in some cooperative games, text strings are used to communicate with other members of a gaming team, or in some instances even to activate commands for action in the game. Similarly to the use of a mouse to activate a graphical button, short text strings may typically be quickly entered on a keyboard without delaying game play.
However, game controllers typically used with game consoles do not include keyboards, and while some devices present virtual keyboards on a display such as a television screen, such virtual keyboards suffer from the same problem as the tables of available commands described above, as the cursor must be moved to each desired letter key and a button pressed. Thus, it similarly becomes difficult to enter text strings in a timely fashion with such game controllers.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have an alternative method of selecting commands quickly when using a video game console type controller with a program, such as a video game, that has an interface with graphical buttons that are normally selected with a mouse click to activate the commands, or in an environment utilizing text commands.